ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) has granted district-level cable TV licences for the first time in the country’s history.
At a ceremony held at Pemra Headquarters in Islamabad, Chairman Muhammad Saleem welcomed participants and congratulated the winning companies.
The process started earlier this year when Pemra advertised the initiative in February 2025 through national newspapers, its official website, TV channels, FM radio, and cable networks.
A total of 36 companies from across the country submitted 91 applications. Bidding was organised for nine districts — Mianwali, Sialkot, Swat, Abbottabad, Muzaffargarh, Sahiwal, Peshawar, Rawalpindi, and Attock. Offer letters were also issued for 44 other districts that received one or two applications.
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After completing the evaluation process, Pemra provisionally awarded 67 licences to 29 companies. Out of these, 20 companies that fulfilled all requirements were formally given 42 licences for 37 districts during Monday’s event.
Earlier, Pemra had mainly issued regional or nationwide licences to cable operators. The new district-level licensing system is aimed at encouraging more competition and improving local content delivery.
Officials believe it will also help regulate cable services more effectively at the grassroots level and provide better entertainment and information to people in smaller towns. This move follows Pemra’s recent efforts to introduce digital cable TV systems across Pakistan to replace outdated analogue services.
